Such an inner raceway having an axial extension is used in bearing arrangements which have an inner raceway which is joined to another component, such as a wheel hub, for example, by means of orbital riveting, or which is tensioned against said component. Most of the bearing arrangements which are designed as radial bearings have an axial surface on the axial side thereof which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation, which is why an orbital rivet bond typically rises above this outer surface and is therefore exposed to environmental conditions, such as water contamination or foreign particles, for example. These worsen the condition of the orbital rivet bond over the service lifetime of the bearing. This can be the result of water, for example, which commonly leads to the formation of rust, thereby compromising the tensioning of the inner raceway.
In addition, a similar problem exists for end-face-geared bearing units which transmit torque by means of axial gearing, and wherein the gear teeth which engage with each other are likewise exposed to undesired environmental influences.
Wheel bearings are known from WO2006/114083 which have an inner raceway with an axial recess, wherein the orbital rivet bond has been pressed and/or formed into said axial recess, and additionally forms an end-face gearing on the axial end face thereof. The orbital rivet bond is entirely enclosed peripherally by the inner raceway, and is protected by the same.
As an alternative, various methods of covering are known, such as in WO2006/111146, for example, wherein a ring-shaped, elastic cover element is used for the purpose of covering and sealing, around the periphery thereof, the gear teeth which engage with each other.
In the case of the variant which has the inner raceway which provides a peripheral enclosure, the problem was discovered that the inner raceway is subject to strong stresses as a result of the orbital riveting, and therefore the rolling element raceway assumes a shape due to the radial forming forces which is disadvantageous for the rolling motion.